Prosecutors calls inmates on trial 'soldiers' in deadly riot

WILMINGTON, Del. – A prosecutor called on jurors in the second in a series of trials for inmates charged in a deadly Delaware prison riot to find the four men on trial guilty of murder.

News outlets report that in closing arguments Monday, Deputy Attorney General John Downs characterized the 2017 riot as a "violent takeover, not a protest" gone wrong. Prison guard Steven Floyd was killed, and three other staffers were taken hostage.

Downs says the four defendants — Obadiah Miller, John Bramble, Kevin Berry and Abednego Baynes — were "soldiers" in the deadly plot to take over the prison. Defense attorneys focused on inmates' differing accounts of the riot.

Closing arguments continue Tuesday with a final appeal from Bramble's attorney and the prosecution's rebuttal before the jury is handed the case.